workbench Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Reinforcements for Aeronautica Imperialis – Grot Bommers

Was given some reinforcements for Aeronautica Imperialis, in the shape of some Grot Bommers as a present, which was nice.

The diminutive Gretchin have long been enthusiastic supporters of Ork aviation, whether gleefully pushing bombs out of open bays, crawling into tight spots to fix engines, or acting as spotters and even gunners on ork planes. It doesn’t take long before they become obsessed with flying just like their bigger kin, begging for their own turn on the control stick. Some enterprising Ork meks decided this arrangement could be mutually beneficial, and created guided missiles that could be flown like a tiny, gretchin-sized airplane. Fitted with a short-burn rocket engine and stuffed with unstable explosives, some rabid grots are happy to climb aboard just for the (short-lived) thrill of speed and freedom. They’re loaded into the wings of specially-fitted Grot Bommers, and launched in support of the Air Waaagh!

I did say in a post last year that these would be my next purchase for Aeronautica Imperialis would be these planes.

The obvious answer for me is a pair of Grot Bommerz. I do like the concept of these, though I am not a big fan of the actual models, but Orks is Orks, so they are next on my shopping list.

They are currently still in the box, but I have started to think about what colour they might be painted. I will probably follow a similar process I used on my other Ork aircraft. Though I think yellow or orange might be the way to go as with these models that I saw at Warhammer World.

Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Battle Titan

Having pre-ordered the Precept Maniple Battleforce, I have started thinking about which models I will build and paint first out of the five that come in the box.

I had been thinking about purchasing the Warlord Battle Titan anyhow, so now I have the Precept Maniple Battleforce this may be the first to get built, though thinking about a Warhound first for painting to see what scheme I will do.

Warlord Battle Titans bestride the battlefields of the Imperium, their thunderous tread heralding the destruction of the enemies of Mankind. A mainstay of the Collegia Titanica, Warlord Battle Titans are among the largest and most powerful war machines ever devised by the Mechanicum.

The final model will be around 6” tall which is much bigger than the Epic scale Warlord Titans that came with the original Adeptus Titanicus game. There are many more parts as well, 144 to be exact, compared that with the ten parts of the original epic model (and two of those were the base).

Thinking about construction and painting, do I partially assemble the model and then paint it before finishing off the construction?

The other thing I am thinking about is colour scheme. I am thinking blue as the predominant colour.

As with most of my painting and modelling I do like to see what others have done and when I visited Warhammer World in January 2020 there were many models on display that were inspiring to see.

So much to think about.

Retiring a few projects

I was doing some clearing out of the garage and realised that in a plastic bag (of all things) were some old Ork scenery projects that I had started over a decade ago, but never got around to finishing off.

I did some hard thinking and decided that if I hadn’t finished them by now I was never going to finish them, so I threw them out. I did think that if I wanted to do some scenery it might be easier to just start again.

So which projects have I retired?

Well the first was the Ork Defence Line which was based on some Imperial scenery pieces I had got at a Games Day. I had built some scenery at GamesDay and came home with the bits. These I then decided to take apart and re-build them as an Ork Defence Line.

Another project I retired was the Ork Desert Fuel Depot which was part of an Ork Cities of Death project. I did nearly finish one Ork Desert Fort, however that one I am keeping. Having liked that I started another fort, I took an old DVD-R spindle tub and covered it in plasticard and strips of wood, as well as spare parts from Rhino and Land Raider kits.

The final project I retired was the Stompa Gantry which was based on a broken toy crane.

I think part of the reason this was never finished was I never finished painting the Stompa!

Well I can always start these ideas again if I want to in the future, in the meantime I must try and get some of my exisiting collection painted and finished.

Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV (male) World War One Tank

Having started on the Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV (male) World War One Tank. The first stage was to clean the resin and metal pieces and then wash the resin pieces in warm soapy water to remove any residue from the casting process.

The parts were quite easy to clean and they fit together quite nicely and easily. Here are the resin pieces.

They comprise the hull, the two track units and two sponsons.

Here are the metal castings.

As well as the fascine rails, you also have metal main weapons and secondary weapons, exhausts and other hull fittings.

Washing the Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV (male) World War One Tank

The parts were quite easy to clean and they fit together quite nicely and easily. Looking at the pictures of HMS Excellent in 1940 I will be leaving some parts off, notably the top fascine rails.

They have arrived…

When Gorzag Gitstompa and Nikkit appeared on the Games Workshop webstore back in January I was tempted, and then remembered that these kinds of things sell out so I ordered it.

Dey say it’z da time of givin’ – well it’z da time of takin’ too, and dat’s just what Nikkit does best! Da Ammo Runt goes round makin’ sure dat ‘is boss, Gorzag Gitstompa, has everything he needs to break heads.

Grab these commemorative seasonal miniatures. Gorzag is based on a model that was available for Games Day 1998 that was itself based on the old box art for the classic game Gorkamorka. This glorious update reimagines the model in plastic and brings along a Grot Ammo Runt, Nikkit. These can be added to any Ork army as an Ork Nob and Ammo Runt, adding some individualisation to your collection.

This 8-piece plastic kit makes one Gorzag Gitstompa and one Nikkit. It is supplied with a 32mm Citadel round base and a 25mm Citadel round base.

It said it would take up to 120 days for delivery, so knew it would take some time to arrive and it arrived last week.

You get a nice box, which (probably) contains a single plastic sprue.

I haven’t actually opened it yet, still sealed.

Yes £21 for a model is quite expensive in my thinking, I still remember when I thought £1.95 for a single metal model was extortionate. However I have to remember it is 2021, I am no longer a teenager and the value of this shouldn’t be about how much (or how little) plastic is contained in the box. I was buying a modelling experience, not just a piece of plastic. Well that’s how I justify it to myself these days.

At some point I expect this to appear on the Ork workbench.

Bolt Action Home Guard Mark IV (male) World War One Tank

I got this Warlord Games Bolt Action Mark IV (male) British WWI tank model for Christmas.

It consists of mainly resin parts with some metal components.

I have a 15mm Home Guard Mark IV Male, but as I am in the process of building a Bolt Action 28mm Home Guard force, I did want to add some armour to them with a Mark IV Male World War One tank put into service, even if it was merely as a mobile pillbox.

I mentioned this idea in an article I wrote on a French themed Operation Sealion, Otaire de Vigneur.

To add a bit of diversity to my games, I also have one of Minifigs’ World War One British tanks, for use by a Home Guard unit (stolen from a local museum no doubt).

Now when I wrote that article and bought the miniature it was only an assumption and what I thought would be a nice idea, and probably had no basis in truth….

Well just shows a little historical research never hurt anyone, as the Bovington Tank Museum has on display a Mark IV Male tank that was used just in this way. It was used in World War One and then presented to the Navy. When war broke out in September 1939, the Tank Mark IV (Male) number 2324 was refurbished for Home Guard duties; according to the Bovington Tank Museum website.

Our exhibit, a male tank, was presented to the Royal Navy’s Gunnery School, HMS Excellent after the war to commemorate their help training Tank Corps gunners and it was temporarily refurbished for Home Guard duties in 1940. (Believed to have been achieved by removed parts from another tank possibly on Southsea Common.)

This photograph is from HMS Excellent in 1940.

One thing clear from this photograph is the disruptive camouflage they have used on the tank.

Another view of the Mark IV at speed.

So though I thought my idea was probably if Operation Sealion had happened, I didn’t think and didn’t realise that it had in fact happened despite the fact that the Germans hadn’t invaded.

So as I also have the Royal Navy Section this gives me an excuse to use this model.

So onto building the model.

The first step will be to give the resin parts a wash in soapy water and clean up the metal components.

Adding depth to the Ridgerunner

One of my more recent models is the Genestealer Cults Achilles Ridgerunner.

The Achilles Ridgerunner is an Imperial light exploratory vehicle often used to scout out new ore seams by mining guild prospectors and newly discovered terrain on Frontier Worlds by geological surveyors.

I really do like this model, and as it is an Imperial light exploratory vehicle, I decided that I could use this to support my Daemonhunters force of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, some of whom are Cadian Kasrkin and some are Tallarn Imperial Guard.

I had already constructed and undercoated the model. I then basecoated and shaded the Ridgerunner.

I wanted more depth to the model so the model was then given various extra washes of mainly Citadel Shades, Seraphim Sepia, and Agrax Earthshade.

This I felt would make the drybrushing work better.

See the workbench feature on the Inquisitorial Achilles Ridgerunner.

Drybrushing the Kill Bursta

I have had my Kill Bursta hanging around on the workbench for a while now, so it’s nice to make some significant progress on the model.

Forge World’s big Ork tank mounts a huge gun ready to take on any Imperial BaneBlade or even Titan. The Kill Bursta mounts a huge-bore Kannon capable of destroying bunkers and siegeworks with ease.

When I constructed and undercoated the model, I had given the model a double undercoat of white and black and then using a thinned Chaos Black I touched up the black basecoat. I also black undercoated certain parts of the engine.

The first thing I did when I revisited the model was something different and sprayed the upper surfaces of the model with Citadel Spray Zandri Dust. Using a brush I painted the tracks with Gorthor Brown. I did the engine with Leadbelcher, rather than drybrushing with Tin Bitz over a black undercoat.

I started painting some of the panels with other colours and I shaded the model notably Balor Brown and Ushabti Bone. This is really to break up the predominant colour of the model.

The next stage was a bit of a challenge, using various Citadel shades, though mainly Seraphim Sepia, to add shadow to the model.

Once this was done and dry I started to rust and dust up the model.

What I wanted was to get both a dusty and rusty look to the model.

I drybrushed the model with a mix of XV-88 and Ushabti Bone, before finally using some Ushabti Bone.

I then took some Citadel Dry paint, Golgfag Brown and using a smaller drybrush added patches here and then across the model to represent rusty or rusting patches on the Kill Bursta and used some on the tracks and wheels.

I also used Golgfag Brown and Leadbelcher on the engine.

There is still a fair bit of work to do on the model, but I am pleased with my progress so far.

See the workbench feature on the Ork Kill Bursta.

Drybrushing the Ork Battlewagon

This plastic battlewagon kit was released by Games Workshop on the 3rd January 2009 and I picked mine up on the 4th January. I had hoped to paint the model quite quickly, well nearly ten years later, maybe not.

The last stage I left the model was back in 2010 when I had drybrushed the black parts of the model. It then got left for a while, well it got left for quite a few years! So I recently unearthed it from storage with the intention of finishing it off. Having constructed the model, shading it with washes and some light drybrushing, I wanted to add some more weathering.

What I wanted was to get both a dusty and rusty look to the model.

I drybrushed the model with more XV-88 then doing a lighter drybrush with a mix of XV-88 and Ushabti Bone, before finally using some Ushabti Bone.

I then took some Citadel Dry paint, Golgfag Brown and using a smaller drybrush added patches here and then across the model to represent rusty or rusting patches on the wagon.

With this model, less is more, so I think I might go back to the model and use some weathering powders.